Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 404

Chiriririring! The taut Azure Dragon Chain dug into Yayul Jeok’s body, little by little. Chiiiiik! He tried to counteract the power of the Azure Dragon Chain with the Yin Cold White Energy and Yin Fire Red Energy, but it was not easy at all. The Yin God’s two great techniques, Yin Cold and Yin Fire, were miraculous martial arts that manipulated Yin and Yang energies. However, they were not originally created as martial arts to generate destructive power by emitting two energies simultaneously. They were martial arts created to deliver a more secretive and certain death than any other martial art in the world. The strongest hidden force (暗勁) [a type of internal power that focuses on subtle, internal strikes], which destroys a person’s body from the inside through infiltration and explosion rather than a direct confrontation, was Yin Cold and Yin Fire. In a way, it could be seen as similar to the Death God’s Energy. The problem was that the Death God’s martial arts were a complete form in all aspects of offense, defense, evasion, and counterattack, so in a direct confrontation, it could show far more overwhelming skill than the Yin God’s martial arts. ‘How strange.’ Despite the urgent situation, Yayul Jeok’s eyes had regained their composure. ‘He suddenly achieved a qualitative improvement in his inner energy. Moreover, at the moment of crisis, the concentration of his power amplified as if he had been waiting for it. This is impossible.’ People say that after experiencing a crisis of death, one grows greatly. The same is true for martial artists. In a moment of life or death, a sudden realization can bring about a great leap forward. However, the word ‘progress’ implies ‘first.’ The level of martial arts can rise with a moment’s realization, but after entering a new world, it is common for combat power to plummet in an unfamiliar realm. It is even more so during a life-or-death battle. Being flustered by the change in the way martial arts are implemented due to the realization can lead to fatal consequences. ‘This guy is different.’ Yeon Ho-jeong is different. This guy has clearly achieved an increase in his level. In this instant! Yet, it was very natural. It was as if he had experience reaching his current level, the supply of amplified inner energy was perfect, and he was exquisitely reading the limits and minimums of his power. This cannot be. Except for cases where someone becomes a cripple due to inner energy deviation and then enters their original level by divine providence, it is impossible to control inner energy so skillfully. ‘This guy, could he have been hiding his power?!’ The situation was so absurd that he even thought that. ‘…Whatever.’ Yayul Jeok’s eyes turned to Sama Hyeon. Sama Hyeon was glaring at him with cold eyes. His gaze was filled with anger, self-loathing, killing intent, and sorrow. ‘It’s difficult with the Yin God’s power alone. I should have aimed for a surprise attack from the beginning.’ This was also arrogance. The arrogance that he could overwhelm his opponent even in a direct confrontation with the Yin God’s martial arts. It was a confidence that was understandable, but it became a misjudgment due to the opponent’s sudden growth. Whoosh! The energy that Yayul Jeok had been generating with the Yin God’s Energy disappeared as if washed away. Tzzzzzz. Soon, a gray haze began to rise from his body. Sama Hyeon’s face, which had been full of hatred, was filled with surprise. It was an energy he had never seen before. Not only that. “Kuh!” Ok Cheong groaned and stepped back a couple of steps. The aftermath of the energy that Yayul Jeok was releasing momentarily was beyond imagination. Of course, if it were just the pressure of a simple inner energy release, Ok Cheong would not have reacted like this. Ok Cheong was a master among the military, closest to the realm of the Martial Ancestor. Ok Cheong shouted. “Great Commander! Be careful! It’s no ordinary evil energy!” That’s right. The true energy that Yayul Jeok was emitting was a powerful evil energy that could even suppress Ok Cheong’s Primordial Energy, which was said to be the pinnacle of Taoist martial arts. In terms of the level of true energy, Ok Cheong’s Primordial Energy, which was the culmination of all the Sword Saint’s enlightenment, could not be inferior. However, due to Ok Cheong’s lower level, he was shocked by the overwhelming evil energy. Chiriririring! The Azure Dragon Chain began to vibrate wildly. The intensity of the power was clearly different from when he was emitting the Yin God’s Energy. The Vermilion Bird Fire, which had completely dominated the Azure Dragon Chain, was gradually being pushed back by the gray evil energy that Yayul Jeok was emitting. “How long has it been since I revealed this power?” Kaaaaang! The Azure Dragon Chain was released weakly. Considering that it did not break even in the process, the material was certainly amazing. “I tried so hard to forget the power of the past to reign as the god of the underworld in the Central Plains.” Pshhhhh. The pale skin of Yayul Jeok, which had been like a corpse, began to regain its color. Crack! Crack, crack! It was a series of amazing changes. Yayul Jeok’s skeleton grew little by little, and his muscles also swelled noticeably. His facial features remained the same, but his physique grew larger and his complexion changed, so his impression was completely different. His once eerie and ordinary impression now felt very combative. Yayul Jeok, who had temporarily abandoned the Yin God’s Energy and taken out the Sacred Art of the Evil Yin Sect. Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes, looking at such Yayul Jeok, were unexpectedly very calm. Whoooosh! The evil energy that Yayul Jeok was emitting was extremely violent. As much as his changed energy wave, his eyes also became as savage as those of a beast. He growled like a beast. “The game is over. This time, for sure…” Kwaang! “Cough!” Yayul Jeok coughed up blood and flew away, breaking a tree and collapsing on the ground. His eyes snapped open. It was fortunate that he had instinctively taken a defensive stance, or else one part of his body would have been broken by this one move. Surprise arose on Yayul Jeok’s face. ‘Wh-what?’ In Yayul Jeok’s eyes, who quickly regained his posture, he saw Yeon Ho-jeong emitting red and white haze. Whirrrrr! It was as if fire was mixed with the wind, or as if the wind was leading the burning fire. Yeon Ho-jeong’s energy wave, which had simultaneously drawn up the White Tiger Metal Energy and the Vermilion Bird Fire, was not as flashy as Yayul Jeok’s. It was calm but felt deadly, and it seemed capable of unleashing an explosive strike while remaining composed. “It’s the Beast King’s Evil Energy.” “……?!” “Looking at your energy, you’ve reached the tenth level of Great Achievement, but have you been neglecting your training? For someone who has achieved Great Achievement, the flow of your true energy seems a bit stuffy.” Yayul Jeok’s eyes trembled. “You, how do you know about the Beast King’s Evil Energy?” Come to think of it, this guy was strange from the beginning. He had a clear view of So-bang’s Blood Sound Evil Energy, as well as the forms of the Blood Sound Palm. That was impossible without mastering the Blood Sound Palm. But how could he know not only the Blood Sound martial arts but also the Beast King’s Evil Energy? Chiriririring! The Azure Dragon Chain floated freely in the air. It seemed to move on its own as if it were alive. All Yeon Ho-jeong did was flick his wrist. “Come. I will make you realize how futile your power is.” In an instant, killing intent arose in Yayul Jeok’s eyes. “You brat!” Paahhh! Yayul Jeok charged towards Yeon Ho-jeong. His posture was incredibly low. He moved forward with both hands on the ground like a quadruped, and the pressure was truly immense. Yayul Jeok, who had closed the distance in an instant, unleashed an explosive fist. Kwaang! Yeon Ho-jeong’s body swayed. “How dare you ignore the martial arts of this sect?!” Kwaang! Kwaaaang! “The martial arts of this sect are invincible techniques perfected over a thousand years of history! They are on a different level from the martial arts you have created!” Puhhh! Puhpuhpuhpuh! Yayul Jeok’s Hundred Strike Technique was amazing. It was different from the Hundred Strike Technique implemented with the Yin God’s Energy. If the Hundred Strike Technique at that time was fast, sharp, and specialized in the techniques of killing, the current Hundred Strike Technique was extremely rough and stubborn. It was a beast’s fighting technique. A martial art of extreme killing that combined fist techniques and claw techniques to destroy and mangle the opponent. “I will tear your corpse into a hundred pieces and show the greatness of this sect…!!” In an instant, Yeon Ho-jeong’s hand penetrated between Yayul Jeok’s twin fists. Puhhhhh! “Cough!” Yayul Jeok coughed up blood again and flew away. Pshhhhh. From Yeon Ho-jeong’s arms, which were stopped in the position of reaching out, a white smoke rose. He had blocked all of Yayul Jeok’s martial arts. “I don’t understand why you are so obsessed with the Yin God’s martial arts when the martial arts of the Evil Yin are so outstanding.” Yeon Ho-jeong released his stance. A stern aura surrounded his face as he looked down at Yayul Jeok. “In the end, you are just a half-baked person who does not know the truth of martial arts (武) [the essence of martial arts].” Whooooooong! The Yeon Family’s Divine Platform slowly rotated. Even without using the powerful true energy generation from the rotation of the Divine Platform, he had blocked all of Yayul Jeok’s attacks and even easily counterattacked. It was truly amazing. He did not use his unique method of annihilating the enemy at once with explosive power, but rather used a method of gently collapsing the enemy. ‘This is it.’ Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes shone. ‘This is what I’ve been missing all along.’ The beginning was the duel with Yang Cheon. Although they did not exchange hundreds of blows, Yeon Ho-jeong was able to immerse himself in another principle of martial arts (武理) [the underlying logic and philosophy of martial arts] while fighting Yang Cheon. The reason he was able to obtain that principle was because Yeon Ho-jeong was weaker than Yang Cheon. The realization was that he was similar to or even surpassed Yang Cheon, but his actual power was weak, so in order to land a blow on Yang Cheon, he had to use all the combat techniques he had acquired. Even in one exchange, he thought of dozens of responses, and among them, he took out the most effective and surprising attack. However, Yang Cheon did not collapse. Rather than collapsing, he was unilaterally pushed back without inflicting any real damage. It was natural. Yang Cheon was also a master of combat techniques, and the difference in the size of their power was incomparable. So, what should he do? The difference was only in the method, but both he and Yang Cheon were aiming for a linear and destructive martial arts (武). How could he inflict a blow on his opponent? It was then that he vaguely remembered the fist technique that had reached the divine skill (神技) [a technique that has reached the highest level of mastery] that Seung-hyeon Jin-in had shown him before he went to fight the martial artists of the Divine Cult. ‘Tai Chi Fist!’ Seung-hyeon Jin-in’s Tai Chi Fist was not at all powerful. It was more adept at defense than offense, and it was more focused on receiving and pushing away than on applying techniques. That was exactly what Yeon Ho-jeong, who was weaker now than during the Black Abyss Emperor era, needed. The principle that he did not need to train at the time was now a missing piece that could make Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts close to perfection (完成) [completion]. And at the moment he realized that. Yeon Ho-jeong’s true energy (眞氣) [internal energy] accepted the realization and reached the extreme level. ‘It’s right in front of me now.’ Whooooooong! The rotation speed of the Yeon Family’s Divine Platform increased, and the highly evolved Four Divine Energies (四神氣) [the four elemental energies] rapidly restored his body. He felt as if he could fly up to the sky right away. He was filled with confidence that he could turn a ten-thousand-pound rock into powder with one punch, and that he could uproot a giant tree with just a puff of breath. It was the pinnacle (極致) [the highest point]. Here was the ultimate warrior who had reached the pinnacle of the transcendent realm, a realm that transcended the limits of humanity. ‘Now, only one step to the realm of the Limitless!’ He never imagined he would gain enlightenment here. But he was not surprised. Yeon Ho-jeong was able to calmly accept this change, this situation. Kuuuuuung! At that moment, a strong impact occurred in the rear. It was the sound of the Myeolsa Army and So-bang engaging in a fierce battle. Yeon Ho-jeong did not turn around. He trusted his subordinates. Of course, he had no intention of dragging things out. “Let’s end this now.” Yeon Ho-jeong swung the Azure Dragon Chain. Charrrrrr! The Azure Dragon Chain, which had been wriggling like a snake, was shot towards Yayul Jeok’s neck at a terrifying speed.